Grouting plug



April 5, 1966 R. E. WlLKlE ETAL GROU'IING PLUG Filed NOV. 19, 1962 Rbw. R Y

QM on m R INVE/VTORS RAYMOND E. W/LK/E VIC TOR KELNEP A TTORNEYS United States Patent 3,243,933 GREETING PLUG Raymond E. Willie and Victor Kelner, Chibougamau,

Quehec, Canada, assignors to V. K. Grout Plugs Limited, Chihougamau, Quebec, Canada Filed Nov. 1?, 1962, Ser. No. 238,694 3 Claims. (Cl. 52-749) This invention relates to grouting plugs used for injecting grouting materials into a hole drilled in a masonry, rock or similar wall in order to fill any fissures, cracks or cavities present in the wall. In the present instance the invention will be described in connection with the use of cement grouting material but it will be understood that the invention is obviously adapted for use in connection with other grouting materials.

Grouting plugs of the type provided in accordance with this invention may mso be used for sealing the hole in the wall when the grouting operation is completed and the cement or other grouting material is still in a plastic state. For this purpose the plugs are provided with locking devices which grip the surface of the drilled hole to keep the plug from being pushed out by back pressure inside the hole, and with a valve which closes the nozzle used in delivering the cement. The locking devices and the valve may be arranged to be operated by the back 1 pressure developed in the hole as the grouting is completed.

One known valve arrangement comprises a valve ball which is retained loosely in a housing extending beyond the nozzle and which engages a tapered seat on the end of the nozzle. This arrangement is cheap and convenient, but it has the disadvantage that the ball may be wedged against the seat as the plug is introduced into the hole so that the grouting operation is hampered or slowed down.

it is an object of the invention to overcome this disadvantage by providing means which positively prevent the ball from engaging the seat at least until the grouting operation is started. While the grouting operation is under way the cement flowing through the nozzle keeps the ball clear of the seat until grouting is completed, at which time the input pressure of the grout is terminated and the back pressure developed in the hole pushes the ball against the seat to close the nozzle.

The above stated object of the invention is achieved by the provision of a housing having in its outer portion an ofiset member which keeps the ball ofiset from the seat as long as the ball is located in the outer portion. The nozzle is mounted to be slidable in the housing so that, as the plug is pushed into the hole, the nozzle takes a forward position in which the ball is retained in the outer portion and cannot engage the seat. As the grouting operation proceeds the pressure in the hole causes the nozzle to travel back to a rearward position in which the ball can engage the seat as soon as enough back pressure is built up in the hole.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved locking device consisting of a frusto-conical sleeve tapered away from the nozzle and having a plurality of wedges slidably mounted on it. The back pressure forces the sleeve rearwardly with respect to the wedges and causes the wedges to grip the surface of the drilled hole.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view partly in side elevation, partly in longitudinal section along line 11 of FIG. 2, of a first embodiment of the invention, shown with the nozzle in the forward position at the beginning of the grouting operation.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation seen from line 22 of FIG.

3,243,933 Patented Apr. 5, 1966 "ice 1, with the nozzle in the rearward position and the ball engaged with the seat in sealing position.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section along line 3-3 of FIG. 1. PEG. 4 is a fragmentary View partly in elevation, partly .in longitudinal section along line 44 of FIG. 5, of a grouting plug according to a modified embodiment, shown in the sealed position.

FIG. 5 is an end view of the grouting plug of FIG. 4, seen from the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the grouting plug comprises a feed pipe threaded at both ends and having screwed on it at one end a connection 11 and at the other end a nozzle 12. A frusto-conical sleeve 14 is slidably fitted on the feed pipe 10 with its small end adjacent the connection 11. As shown in FIG. 3 the sleeve 14 has a pair of diametrically opposite longitudinal recesses 15 which open into restricted slots 17 (FIG. 2). A pair of wedges 18 are secured to the slots 17 by rivets 19 so as to be slidable along the sleeve. The wedges 18 are generally triangular and have their outer surfaces cylindrical and provided with a plurality of ribs 21. The inner surfaces of the ribs are complementary to the frustoconical surface of sleeve 14.

A sleeve 23 of rubber or plastic is slidably mounted on the feed pipe 16 next to the frusto-conical sleeve 14. A washer 24 is preferably provided between the sleeve 23 and the frusto-conical sleeve 14.

The nozzle 12 has a bevelled seat 25 adapted to be engaged by a valve ball 27 made of a suitable plastic or the like. The ball 27 is retained by a housing formed of two U-shaped bands 29 and 3t) riveted together at their hump and having their free ends bent inwardly at 32 and hooked around the nozzle 12. The bands are curved in crosssection to fit the curvature of the nozzle and are surrounded by a sleeve 33 forming the wall of a cup having a base 34 which is perforated for the passage of the feed pipe 1%. The base 34 extends outwardly at 36 and engages fully against the rubber sleeve 23.

The U-shaped band 2% has one of its legs bent inwardly at 37 at the portion adjacent the hump so as to provide an offsetting member at the outer portion of the housing. When the ball 27 is in said outer portion it is held in an offset position with respect to the seat 25.

The nozzle 12 together with the feed pipe 16 is slidable with respect to the cup 33-34 and to the housing 29-36) to a forward position, shown in FIG. 1, in which the nozzle engages the offset 37 and keeps the ball 27 in the outer portion of the housing. The nozzle is also movable to a rearward position, shown in FIG. 2, in which it engages the inwardly bent portions 32 of the bands 29 and 3t}, and in which the ball 27 can engage the seat 25. In the forward position, the nozzle 12 clears the sleeve 33 so that the bands 29 and 39 may be slid out and disengaged from the nozzle 12 by bending them outwardly. It is in this forward position that the bands are assembled with the nozzle and cup.

The grouting plug is used as follows: After the hole has been drilled the plug is inserted in the hole with the nozzle in the forward position (FIG. 1) by pushing on the connection 11. The ball 27 is thus kept offset from the seat 25 and cannot be wedged against it, for example, by bits of rock dislodged from the hole. The plug is pushed in until the wedges 13 are past the mouth of the hole and the wedges are forced inwardly into engagement with the surface of the hole by sliding them along the sleeve 14.

As the grouting operation proceeds the nozzle 12 travels back to the rearward position (FIG. 2) due to pressure buildup in the hole and when the grouting operation is complete, input of grout is terminated and the back pressure forces the ball 27 against the seat 25 and closes the nozzle. Thev back pressure also acts through the nozzle plug from being forced out of the hole by the back pressure. a

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a modifiedem-bodiment which also has a feed pipe 13, a nozzle 12. with a seat and a ball 27. In this embodiment the housing is formed by a tube surrounding the nozzle 12 and having an inwardly projecting flange 41 which engages the nozzle, and which abuts the sleeve 23' through the intermediary of a washer 45. The ofiset member in this case is formed by a prong 43 cutout of the wall of the tube 46 and bent inwardly. Four fingers 44 are cutout from the Wall at the open end of the tube 40 and bent inwardly to retain the ball 27 in the tube, after the nozzle and the ball have been inserted in the tube. The functioning is the same as in the case of the first embodiment.

Both of the aforementioned embodiments of grouting plugs are nonretrievable, that is, the plugs remain permanently in the grouting input holes when the grouting operations are completed. Connection 11, at one end of feed pipe 1!), enables the attached drill rods or pipes to be detached and the grouting plugs left in the holes. The grouting plugs can easily be drilled out later, if this is required.

What we claim is:

1. A grouting plug for insertion in a drilled hole, comprising a nozzle, a valve seat on the end of said nozzle,

a valve ball engageable with said seat, a housing surrounding said ball to retain it in proximity of said seat, an offsetting member at the outer portion of said housing to hold said ball ofiset from said seat when said ball is in said outer portion, said nozzle being slidable with respect to said housing between a forward position in which said ball is retained in said outer portion and can- .not engage said seat, and a rearward position in which Said ball is free to engage said seat,afeed pipe connected to said nozzle .for injecting grouting material therethrough and means surrounding said feed pipe remotely from said nozzle and adapted to engage said drilled hole to prevent outward movement of said plug under back pressure. I

2. A grouting plug according to claim l, wherein said housing comprises two U-shaped bands connected at their humps and having their free ends bent inwardly and hooked around said nozzle an'd a sleeve surrounding said abnds so as to retain them in engagement with said nozzle, one of said bands having one leg thereof bent inwa rdly at the portion adjacentsaid hump to provide said offset member. i

3. A grouting plug according to claim 2, including a cup the wall of which forms said sleeve, said cup having a base which is perforated for the passage of said feed pipe, said nozzle in said first position being clear of the outer edge of said sleeve to enable said bands to be hooked around said nozzle.

4. A grouting plug according to claim 1, wherein said housing consists of a tube surrounding said nozzle and having an inwardly projecting flange at one end and an inwardly projecting prong cutout from the wall of said tube near its other end to form said otfsetfmem ber and a plurality of cutout and inwardly bent fingers to retain said ball in said housing.

5, A grouting plug according to claim 1, wherein said means to engage said drilled hole comprises a frusto-coni: cal sleeve tapered away from said nozzle and surrounding said feed pipe, and a plurality of wedges slidably moun ti ed on said sleeve.

6. A grouting plug according to claim 5, wherein said frusto-conical sleeve has longitudinal recesses opening into restricted slots, said wedges being slidably mounted on said sleeve by means of fasteners secured to said wedges and extending through said slots 'andretained in said recesses. Y

7. A grouting plug according to claim 5, wherein said wedges have outer cylindrical ribbed surfaces and inner surfaces complementary to said frusto-conical sleeve.

8. A grouting plug for insertion into a drilled hole comprising a grouting feed pipe .for injecting grouting material therethrough, a nozzle connected to the output end of said feed pipe, a valve seat on the output end of said nozzle, a valve ball engageable with said seat, a housing surrounding said ball to retain said ball in the proximity of said seat, said housing including an offset member at the outer portion thereof and adapted to hold said ball ofi said seat when said ball is in said outer portion, said nozzle and said feed pipe being slideable with respect to said housing between a forward position in which said ball is retained in said outer portion and cannot engage said seat, and a rear-ward position in which said ball is free to engage said seat, a sleeve of relatively resilient material surrounding a portion of said feed pipe and abutting the inner portion of said housing at one end, a frusto-conical sleeve also surrounding said feedpipe,

the large diameter end of said frusto-conical sleeve abutting the other end of said relatively resilient sleeve, and a plurality of tapered wedges slideably mounted on said.

sleeve and adapted to engage said drilled hole to prevent outward movement of said plug under back the injected grouting material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,173,903 9/ 1939v Halliburton 166140 7 2,551,240 5/ 1951 Bonner 166-140 2,751,018 6/1956 Baker 166 138 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner. HENRY c. SUTHERLAND, Examiner.

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1. A GROUTING PLUG FOR INSERTION IN A DRILLED HOLE, COMPRISING A NOZZLE, A VALVE SEAT ON THE END OF SAID NOZZLE, A VALVE BALL ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID SEAT, A HOUSING SURROUNDING SAID BALL TO RETAIN IT IN PROXIMITY OF SAID SEAT, AN OFFSETTING MEMBER AT THE OUTER PORTION OF SAID HOUSING TO HOLD SAID BALL OFFSET FROM SAID SEAT WHEN SAID BALL IS IN SAID OUTER PORTION, SAID NOZZLE BEING SLIDABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID HOUSING BETWEEN A FORWARD POSITION IN 